The state of Texas has been working very hard to pass anti-sanctuary city legislation, with Governor Greg Abbott giving little quarter on the subject when it comes to cities, or institutions that would defy the immigration laws, and harbor illegal aliens. Now they are one step closer.
Today, the Texas Senate held a preliminary vote for SB 4, presented by state Sen. Charles Perry that would ban sanctuary cities from the state. The bill itself has been one of Abbott's top priorities for some time. The bill passed in a party line 20-11 vote.
Needless to say, the Governor was pleased, and released this statement.
“As Governor, I will not tolerate sanctuary city policies that put the citizens of Texas at risk. Elected officials do not get to pick and choose which laws they will obey. Today's action in the Senate helps ensure that Sheriffs and officials across Texas comply with federal immigration laws and honor Immigration and Custom Enforcement detainer requests that keep dangerous criminals off of our streets. I want to thank Senator Perry for his leadership on this issue and look forward to final passage in the Senate tomorrow.”
The bill is expected to pass in the Senate completely tomorrow.
Governor Abbott has been very adamant about the elimination of sanctuary cities, sending the message loud and clear that Texas cities that they "are going to comply with the law." Abbott has also had to come down on Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who outright refused to work with ICE and instructed her office not to do so as well. In response, Abbot threatened, in no uncertain terms, to cut her millions of dollars worth of funding if she does not reverse the policy.
